Collecting Antique Meerschaum Pipes: Miniature to Majestic Sculpture, 1850-1925 is an illustrated guide to the smoking utensils made of a mineral that has been used since at least the early 1700s and which is, today, still a popular material. In the last decade, a surge in interest in tobacco collectibles has already spawned many books on cigarette lighters, cigar-box labels, and snuff boxes and bottles. This book now comes at a time when antique meerschaums are taking center stage, and collecting them is like buying blue-chip stocks. Ben Rapaport is one of the few internationally recognized authorities on the subject of antique pipes, and in this, his second book published by Schiffer, he has created a powerful and convincing tour de force in word and picture that evidences why so many pipe collectors have a fervent passion for these exceptional works of art. Ranging from very diminutive and expressive cigarette holders to massive sculptured pipes, these instruments were produced by many talented, skilled, and unknown craftsmen working in a cottage industry trade 150 years ago. The caliber of their handiwork and the myriad imaginative meerschaums they produced cannot be duplicated anywhere in the world today. Now, this volume is a permanent record of their unrivaled genius.

The startling range of muffin pans produced by the Griswold Manufacturing Company from the late nineteenth century through the 1950s is covered in detail in this fascinating guide. The author provides more than 235 photographs of muffin pan designs and computer graphics depicting 226 pan variations. All the pertinent details necessary to identify Griswold pans are provided, in addition to the names, numbers, pattern numbers, dates of production, and comparative rarity of each pan. Also included is a brief history of the company, the evolution of Griswold's muffin pans, and details from Griswold sales catalogs. Prices are provided in the text for every pan and variation listed. "Collecting Griswold muffin pans is enjoyable, affordable, challenging, somewhat mysterious, and addictive," says the author, who has been seeking out cast-iron for more than half a decade.

Analog Electronics for Radiation Detection showcases the latest advances in readout electronics for particle, or radiation, detectors. Featuring chapters written by international experts in their respective fields, this authoritative text: Defines the main design parameters of front-end circuitry developed in microelectronics technologies Explains the basis for the use of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors for the detection of charged particles and other non-consumer applications Delivers an in-depth review of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), evaluating the pros and cons of ADCs integrated at the pixel, column, and per-chip levels Describes incremental sigma-delta ADCs, time-to-digital converter (TDC) architectures, and digital pulse-processing techniques complementary to analog processing Examines the fundamental parameters and front-end types associated with silicon photomultipliers used for single visible-light photon detection Discusses pixel sensors with per-pixel TDCs, channel density challenges, and emerging 3D technologies interconnecting detectors and electronics Thus, Analog Electronics for Radiation Detection provides a single source for state-of-the-art information on analog electronics for the readout of radiation detectors.

Discusses smart and sustainable supply chain management concepts that will be analyzed in the Industry 4.0 perspective Explores green systems and smart applications under Industry 4.0 setting Presents the latest technological developments, including disruptive technologies and their impact on smart and sustainable supply chains in accordance with the triple bottom-line approach The economic, social, and environmental impact of the emerging technologies on supply chain management sustainability and smartness will be investigated thoroughly Each chapter will either include a case study or a related problem/numerical example along with the solution for easy reader comprehension

Orietta Da Rold provides a detailed analysis of the coming of paper to medieval England, and its influence on the literary and non-literary culture of the period. Looking beyond book production, Da Rold maps out the uses of paper and explains the success of this technology in medieval culture, considering how people interacted with it and how it affected their lives. Offering a nuanced understanding of how affordance influenced societal choices, Paper in Medieval England draws on a multilingual array of sources to investigate how paper circulated, was written upon, and was deployed by people across medieval society, from kings to merchants, to bishops, to clerks and to poets, contributing to an understanding of how medieval paper changed communication and shaped modernity.

Despite the growing demand for design strategies to reduce our petroleum use, no one has yet brought together the lessons of the world's leading post-petroleum designers into a single resource. Post-Petroleum Design brings them together for the first time. Readers will be introduced to the most current, innovative, plastic-and petroleum-free products and projects in industrial design, architecture, transportation, electronics, apparel and more. Post-Petroleum Design explores firsthand the client and consumer motivations behind the demand, and shares the case studies, principles, best practices, risks and opportunities of the world's leading post-petroleum design experts who are already meeting that demand. It introduces 40 inspiring individuals from across the globe; people like Eben Bayer, the American innovator whose company, Ecovative, is growing houses from mushrooms; Mohammed Bah Abba, whose Zeer Pot is helping families keep produce fresh in the sweltering Nigerian summer without electricity; and the engineers at Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios whose Biome car evolves from genetically engineered DNA. Post-Petroleum Design gives design professionals the information they need to research, evaluate, and select materials, technologies and design strategies that meet the growing demand for sustainable design, plastic-free materials and process energy conservation. Designer profiles, studies, statistics and many colour illustrations all highlight the work-some of the best design work to be found anywhere, and showcased here for the first time.

POW! ZAP! eeEEYOW! This is the exciting world of comic book hero toys. From TV to comics, we loved them all and wanted everything connected with them. The roll call includes banks, board games, dress-up costumes, cups, model kits, and so much much more, with the images of Captain Action*T, Superman*T, Batman*T, the DC Comics Super Heroes*T, Spider-Man*T, and the Incredible Hulk*T. Just to mention a few! The great villains were as interesting as the great heroes, no matter how we pretend otherwise--so they're here too. Baby Boomers remember it all fondly and super hero fans of all ages will drool. Over 700 color photos and a complete price guide are included.

This textbook provides an introduction to circuits, systems, and motors for students in electrical engineering as well as other majors that need an introduction to circuits. Unlike most other textbooks that highlight only circuit theory, this book goes into detail on many practical aspects of working with circuits, including electrical safety and the proper method to measure the relevant circuit parameters using modern measurement systems. Coverage also includes a detailed discussion of motors and generators, including brushless DC motors, as these are critical topics in the robotic and mechatronics industries. Lastly, the book discusses A/D and D/A converters given their importance in modern measurement and control systems. In addition to covering the basic circuit concepts, the author also provides the students with the necessary mathematics to analyze correctly the circuit concepts being presented. The chapter on phasor domain circuit analysis begins with a detailed review of complex numbers as many students are weak in this area. Likewise, before discussing filters and Bode Diagrams, the Fourier Transform and later the Laplace Transform are explained.

This unique volume explores the various aspects of human resources management and challenges that leaders, managers, and employees are facing in dealing with the new normal that is the result of changing workplace conditions and priorities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the outbreak of the pandemic and the resulting nationwide lockdowns, business across the globe came to an unexpected halt. This volume looks at the paradigm shift in the workplace ecosystem and how the world has changed in a big way. It discusses HR’s role in organizational growth strategies, employee well-being, and employee mental health during the economic downturn and offers coping strategies that aim to empower human resources through learning and resilience. This book explains strategies that will help in preserving healthy human resources, which are an important component of an organization’s effectiveness and growth. Chapters explain current trends in business and technology, the need for constant upskilling and digital dexterity, managing tech detox, and the way employees should work in the new normal. Chapters in Human Resource Management in a Post-Epidemic Global Environment: Roles, Strategies, and Implementations cover how the role of HR has changed with the pandemic; workplace communication strategies; challenges and opportunities of technology use in work-from-home scenarios; flexible work practices; effective employee retention; preserving employees’ well-being, mental health, and work-life balance; the effect on gender equity; HR challenges in the tourism sector; and much more. Organizations that adopt post-pandemic HR roles and strategies not only have the path to innovation but will also have a competitive landscape in the changing scenario. HR leadership and others at corporations and organizations—both large and small—will find this volume to be a useful resource for discussion, implementation, and innovation.

Standardized Work refers to the process of finding and applying the best operational methods that will lead to cost reduction, better product quality, and increased operator safety. This book, the latest in a series dedicated to Standardized Work, focuses on operator training and auditing. It describes the methods and tools used to train operators and then check their work against the standard defined in Standardized Work forms. It also discusses how to introduce these tools in the most effective way. Following in the tradition of the other books in this series, Implementing Standardized Work: Training and Auditing covers essential knowledge using a compelling story format. It follows Thomas, a young, high-potential plant manager in an industrial group, as he deploys Standardized Work to turn around a plant that is losing money. This latest installment recounts the next steps in his process-preparing for training, conducting the training itself, and introducing an auditing process to measure its success. The book explains how to structure and present the newly improved operational methods to facilitate the training. It introduces the Job Breakdown Sheet, which gives operators the "why" for actions and provides illustrations covering key points. The book presents a customized version of the training industry's four-step training method that provides simple actionable tools that will help you perform quick and effective operator training. It also provides a number of key tips to ensure the successful establishment of auditing processes. Implementing Standardized Work: Training and Auditing provides you with the right tools and the right processes to train and sustain Standardized Work. Everyone's role, from the plant manager to the operator, is described and illustrated by simple examples in this book. Covering the essentials of training and auditing in a streamlined, easy-to-understand format, this book can have you applying its concepts in just one day.

This book introduces the applications of Industry 4.0 in machine tools through an overview of the latest available digital technologies. It focuses on digital twining, communication between industrial controls, motion, and input/output devices, along with sustainability in SMEs. Machine Tools: An Industry 4.0 Perspective focuses on the digital twining of machine tools, which improves the life of the machines and provides a method of operating a factory during times of complete lockdown resulting from various conditions. It presents an overview of the communication between industrial controls, motion, and input/output devices through standardized digital interfaces such as SERCOS and USB. The book goes on to discuss industrial cybersecurity systems applicable to discrete manufacturing, which includes cyberattacks and human errors, and address the security aspects related to software, hardware, and data. The book also explores the application of big data for different stages of production and illustrates the uses such as predictive maintenance, product quality, product life cycle management (PLM), and more. This book is an ideal reference for undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students of industrial, mechanical, and mechatronics engineering, along with professionals, and general readers.

A facility-wide improvement initiative is expensive in terms of both time and money. Perhaps the most disappointing thing about them is that they often end up as temporary measures that may produce early results but are unsustainable in the long run. The unseen cost is that after they see such initiatives come and go, employees begin to see them as futile, temporary annoyances rather than the permanent improvements they are meant to be. The Shingo Model (TM) begins with culture informed by operational excellence principles that lead to an understanding of what aligns systems and tools and can set any organization on a path toward enterprise excellence with sustainable continuous improvement. The Shingo Model is not an additional program or another initiative to implement. Instead, it introduces Shingo Guiding Principles on which to anchor current initiatives. Ultimately, the Shingo Model informs a new way of thinking that creates the capability to consistently deliver ideal results to all stakeholders. This is enterprise excellence - the level of excellence achieved by Shingo Prize recipients. In Discover Excellence: An Overview of the Shingo Model and Its Guiding Principles, readers will learn the basics of the Shingo Model, discover the Three Insights of Enterprise Excellence (TM), and explore how the Shingo Guiding Principles inform the kind of ideal behaviors that lead to sustainable results. This book is the introduction to the Shingo Model and prepares the reader for a deeper dive into the Shingo Guiding Principles.

One of the hottest fields in collecting, Tarzan memorabilia ranges from comic books at a dollar or two to first editions valued in the thousands! Part of our cultural heritage for nearly a century, the chest-beating ape man (what other fictional character can be described by a gesture?) has been a hero for generations of boys and girls. Appearing in books, movies, radio, comics, toys, television, cartoons, and even on luggage and vitamins, the image of Tarzan is sure to spark childhood memories of Saturday movie matinees or evenings spent reading the latest issue of the Tarzan comic book. Tarzan collectibles can be found at the priciest auction house or your neighbor's yard sale. Recently a movie poster from the 1928 production Tarzan The Mighty went under the gavel for over $30,000. Many of the Tarzan cereal premiums from the '30s and '40s are today worth several hundred dollars. Tarzan comics and books (both hard cover and paperback) offer the collector a chance to obtain samples of artwork by some of the greatest illustrators, past and present. Just as the worth of vintage items grows, today's toys, comic books, movie, and other Tarzan memorabilia have the potential to increase in value.

Welcome to the kitchen of yesteryear. This comprehensive guide covers the wide variety of tools and services which have graced kitchens of the past. Hundreds of beautiful color photographs illustrate the text. Cooking utensils, coffee and tea pots, graters, grinders, and roasters are among the implements shown. Serving wares, including graniteware, chafing dishes, egg cups, and tea sets are discussed. Even the tools for Monday's laundry and Tuesday's ironing find their place in this detailed text.

Textiles and Human Thermophysiological Comfort in the Indoor Environment delivers a methodical assessment of textile structures for various applications in the indoor environment with respect to the thermophysiological comfort of the inhabitants. The book begins by offering an overview of the role of indoor textiles and clothing as a barrier between the environment and the human body, and then: Explores the use of textiles as an insulation barrier, examining the relationships between textiles and the environment, and textiles and the human body Details an experimental study of heat and mass transfer processes through woven textiles with different applications in the indoor environment Describes a numerical investigation of the transport of air and heat through woven fabrics by means of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) Develops, applies, and verifies an original approach for simulating the woven macrostructure as a jet system, presenting proven results Evaluates thermophysiological comfort under the influence of indoor environmental parameters, clothing insulation, and activity Textiles and Human Thermophysiological Comfort in the Indoor Environment provides a valuable reference for students and researchers working in the area of clothing comfort.

The book explores the concepts and challenges in developing novel approaches using the Internet of Things, intelligent systems, machine intelligence systems, and data analytics in various industrial sectors such as manufacturing, smart agriculture, smart cities, food processing, environment, defense, stock market and healthcare. Further, it discusses the latest improvements in the industrial sectors using machine intelligence learning and intelligent systems techniques, especially robotics. Features: * Highlights case studies and solutions to industrial problems using machine learning and intelligent systems. * Covers applications in smart agriculture, smart healthcare, intelligent machines for disaster management, and smart manufacturing. * Provides the latest methodologies using machine intelligence systems in the early forecasting of weather. * Examines the research challenges and identifies the gaps in data collection and data analysis, especially imagery, signal, and speech. * Provides applications of digitization and smart processing using the Internet of Things and effective intelligent agent systems in manufacturing. * Discusses a systematic and exhaustive analysis of intelligent software effort estimation models. It will serve as an ideal reference text for graduate students, post-graduate students, IT Professionals, and academic researchers in the fields of electrical engineering, electronics and communication engineering, computer engineering, and information technology.

This book helps participants in agile software development environments learn to become leaders. Facilitative leaders should be at every level of the organization, from individual contributor to informal team leader to managers of all stripes -- it takes much focus and intentionality from senior organizational leaders, who have special obligations in creating successful lean and agile development environments. But, beyond the principles of facilitative leadership for agility, People over Process provides tips and demonstrative scenes for the more important and common software meetings: architecture simulations, project planning, team configurations, retrospectives, and more. The author fully illustrates the principles and shares proven techniques for the most important leadership events in agile projects. While this book focuses on facilitating extraordinarily well-prepared meetings, it serves as a metaphor for leadership more broadly. The leader's obligation to help their team make rigorous fact-based decisions; to gain broad input and have participants aligned on the outcomes and next steps; and to do so in an efficient way that respects the time of the participants is as relevant to every-day leadership activity as it is to conducting meetings. The author mixes background and explanation with demonstration -- in this case, the story of an agile project at the fictitious Pacifica Bank. The scenario constructed at Pacifica illustrates the concepts of effective leadership and productive workplace environments. The book concentrates on the flow of software from understanding what is needed through design, development, testing, and deployment. Essentially, the author provides a simple and powerful model of leadership, examples, and tips. This is not a cookbook on how to lead -- It is a set of principles and examples. All leaders must find their own way for their team, their organization, and their unique challenges.

Handbook of Optical Metrology: Principles and Applications begins by discussing key principles and techniques before exploring practical applications of optical metrology. Designed to provide beginners with an introduction to optical metrology without sacrificing academic rigor, this comprehensive text: Covers fundamentals of light sources, lenses, prisms, and mirrors, as well as optoelectronic sensors, optical devices, and optomechanical elements Addresses interferometry, holography, and speckle methods and applications Explains Moire metrology and the optical heterodyne measurement method Delves into the specifics of diffraction, scattering, polarization, and near-field optics Considers applications for measuring length and size, displacement, straightness and parallelism, flatness, and three-dimensional shapes This new Second Edition is fully revised to reflect the latest developments. It also includes four new chapters-nearly 100 pages-on optical coherence tomography for industrial applications, interference microscopy for surface structure analysis, noncontact dimensional and profile metrology by video measurement, and optical metrology in manufacturing technology.

This book provides the much-needed, no-nonsense guidance crucial for project managers - that is, the type of guidance that is missing from every major body of knowledge and educational offering for working project managers. This very practical book identifies the activities that influence project success and focuses the limited time and energy available towards just those activities. The Project Management Institute (PMI) and most literature on project management discusses all aspects of project management under the assumption that project managers will narrow down focus because they cannot be expected to use every process outlined by PMI to manage every project. This book uses the concept of "hacking" our standard conventions of project management and outlines a standard path identified by conventional wisdom, an evil path that project managers frequently resort to under time/quality pressures, and a hacker path that provides a better way to look at the challenge. This book equips project managers with streamlined approaches to refocus their efforts on factors that matter while spending less time doing it. Project management is a demanding discipline with a growing body of knowledge with few instructions on how to do it all. The author provides humorous anecdotes and examples while teaching readers how to save time, improve quality, and advance their career. The primary sections of the book cover how to approach the most common certifications in project management; continuing education; leading project teams; initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and controlling projects; general life skills; and taking on additional responsibilities. Hacking project management is about focusing the limited bandwidth a project manager can give a project towards the activities that drive success.

Women in STEM are constantly facing new challenges every day. By sharing their stories and the ways in which they already have and continue to overcome these hurdles, they can help others find the strength to persevere and succeed in these fields. This mix of authors from varying backgrounds all share the same passion - to encourage more women into STEM - and they have placed their proverbial hearts on their sleeves and documented their journeys to inspire readers to either enter or stay within STEM fields. Empowering Women in STEM: Personal Stories and Career Journeys from Around the World discusses the application process of root cause analysis and ways to introduce STEM to other generations. It offers an insider view of the armed forces and allows readers to gain more perspective on ways male advocates can help female colleagues in STEM fields. It includes a father's perspective on change within the engineering industry, how he's mentoring new female engineers, and ways to help them as they evolve. The book captures firsthand accounts of STEM professionals in various fields as they recount experiences that have helped them to navigate their own career paths. This book also demonstrates how life doesn't have to follow the timelines proposed by society and how females can become CEOs and command other top-level positions in engineering companies. In addition to having women from across the globe share their stories about various fields, readers will hear from both military and civilian male advocates who share ways to empower others within the industry. This book is written for professionals who may be considering a switch of career or deciding to leave STEM. It is also useful to university students who are trying to figure out their career choices and paths and gain more insight into possible career opportunities in STEM.

From humble beginnings in the late 1800s, the popularity of cigarettes grew into the twentieth century, until they became far and away the favorite way to enjoy the pleasures of tobacco. To capitalize on the rising demand, new brands were introduced around the world, and every one had a distinctive, attractive pack. Most were executed in rich colors and with graphics designed to catch the eye and capture the imagination of the potential consumer. Today these miniature works of advertising art have attracted a large, international audience of admirers and collectors. This new book presents hundreds of cigarette packs from every corner of the globe, in full color, with vital information about manufacture and price that will be invaluable to the collector. The images themselves represent a fascinating visual history of more than one hundred years of cigarette manufacture.

Featuring over 1000 color photographs, this expansive guide to Cracker Jack covers all manner of company collectibles from advertising copy, books, catalogs, and crates to packages, premiums, photographs, and sales stimulators. The items detailed in this thorough work span the twentieth century from c. 1910 up through 1998. Values for the items shown are provided. Only the toys retrieved directly from Cracker Jack boxes are excluded here, covered by the author in a separate volume. As if this were not enough, other product lines produced by F.W. Rueckheim and The Cracker Jack Company are also displayed and discussed, along with the candy-coated popcorn and peanut confections created by early competitors. Everyone who has ever opened a box of Cracker Jack will find something of interest inside this Cracker Jack of a book!

Watch out--you'll be turning "blue" with delight once you open the pages of this encyclopedic guide to the world of Smurfs! Covering more than 250 categories, this is the definitive reference for identifying and organizing Smurf collectibles from all over the world. Over 450 exciting color photos display PVC figures, mugs, glasses, villages, pins, buttons, plushes, animation cells, books, posters, games, and much, much more. The text includes a complete listing of all items illustrated, plus values and a helpful index.

Designing and making a coffee table represents a unique project for the craftperson, offering the reward and satisfaction of building a beautiful and yet fairly simple piece of furniture. A coffee table project requires forethought and planning. It also helps to develop confident handskills and the attitude to do one's best, especially for someone just beginning to explore furniture making. Creating Coffee Tables: An Artistic Approach takes the novice as well as the advanced woodworker through a fully illustrated step-by-step process from design to applying a finish. Drawing from his study at the renowned College of the Redwoods Fine Woodworking Program, cabinetmaker and author Craig Vandall Stevens takes the craftsperson through the sequence of events necessary to design and build a coffee table. 350 detailed photographs illustrate selecting and laying out lumber, the use of woodworking machines and handtools, sharpening, milling and preparing parts, joinery, resawing and making sawn veneers, shaping with handtools, assembly, and choosing and applying a finish.

An updated 2nd edition of an indispensible handbook designed to help shoppers know what they are looking at and what it is worth. It has been compiled with collectors in mind, with nearly 500 color photos, concise descriptions, and an up-to-date value for each piece. In addition there are helpful tips on building a collection.